Colorado · Rock climbing · Lyons

Area 51

Area 51 in Colorado has 6 routes with mixed, sport, and trad climbing.

6 routes
5.9 – 5.12a
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Is Area 51 open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 3 alerts for Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests.

As of · Source: USFS · Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Area 51

Best months: April–June and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

  1. Jan

    47° / 21°

    6 wet

  2. Feb

    48° / 22°

    7 wet

  3. Mar

    57° / 29°

    8 wet

  4. Apr

    63° / 34°

    10 wet

  5. May

    71° / 43°

    12 wet

  6. Jun

    83° / 51°

    10 wet

  7. Jul

    88° / 57°

    11 wet

  8. Aug

    86° / 55°

    10 wet

  9. Sep

    79° / 48°

    8 wet

  10. Oct

    66° / 37°

    7 wet

  11. Nov

    54° / 28°

    6 wet

  12. Dec

    46° / 21°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Boulder, CO, 14.4 mi away at 5,484 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Area 51 is a climbing area in the Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Colorado, managed by the Forest Service. It sits within the Boulder Ranger District, about 14 miles from Boulder city. The most comfortable months for a visit are typically late spring and early fall. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Boulder show May highs around 71°F and September highs around 79°F, with July peaking near 88°F. Several climbing areas lie close by, including Desdemona about 0.1 mile away, Mushroom Massif about 0.3 mile away and Third Band about 0.4 mile away. For a hike, Coffintop is about 1.1 mile off.

Routes (6)